Scripture: Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29 ESV)
Observation: In Isaiah 24, God describes the future judgment in which he will pummel the earth. He says, “The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again.” (Isaiah 24:19-20) The earth will be like a punch-drunk boxer, or a battle weary bull, staggering and shaken. But in Hebrews 12, talking about this same shaking, God goes on to encourage us to be grateful that we believers have a kingdom that will not be shaken. This world will shake until it cannot rise again, but the kingdom of God will never be shaken, never be beaten. It will stand unbloodied, unbowed.
Application: I ought to be grateful for the kingdom I have received. Knowing I will escape the shake is reason for great joy and hope. And I should worship God, with reverence and awe, for the God that can shake the earth is a consuming fire.
Prayer: God, I am grateful today for your kingdom. Thank you for reminding me that the stakes are high, that the victory is sure. Sometimes I can get so lost in the world that the future becomes hazy. The promise of your coming judgment waves away the haze and reminds me to be sober and focused.
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